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Palestinians inspect homes destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in Rafah, Gaza on May 6, 2024.
(Photo: Khaled Omar/Xinhua via Getty Images)
Biden Hold on Bomb Delivery 'Must Be a First Step' to Ending US Complicity, Says Sanders
"The U.S. must now use ALL its leverage to demand an immediate cease-fire, the end of the attacks on Rafah, and the immediate delivery of massive amounts of humanitarian aid to people living in desperation."
May 08, 2024
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders said Wednesday that the Biden administration must go much further than merely delaying shipments of two types of Boeing-made bombs to Israel, whose long-feared ground assault on the overcrowded Gaza city of Rafah is currently underway.
Sanders (I-Vt.) said U.S. President Joe Biden was "absolutely right" to halt the delivery of thousands of bombs to "this extreme, right-wing Israeli government" as it inflicts an "unprecedented humanitarian disaster" on Gaza's population.
"But this must be a first step," said the Vermont senator. "The U.S. must now use ALL its leverage to demand an immediate cease-fire, the end of the attacks on Rafah, and the immediate delivery of massive amounts of humanitarian aid to people living in desperation. Our leverage is clear."
President Biden is right to halt bomb deliveries to this extreme Israeli government.
But this must be a first step. The U.S. must now use ALL its leverage to demand a ceasefire, stop attacks on Rafah, and secure delivery of massive humanitarian aid throughout Gaza. pic.twitter.com/Td3aRfpBya
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) May 8, 2024
The Biden administration has approved more than 100 weapons sales for Israel since it began its latest assault on Gaza in October. Last month, Biden signed into law a foreign aid package that includes billions of dollars in unconditional U.S. military assistance for Israel.
The New York Times reported Tuesday that Biden "withheld 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs that he feared could be dropped on Rafah, where more than one million Gazans have taken refuge." Israel has dropped hundreds of U.S.-made 2,000-pound bombs on Gaza since October.
"The administration is reviewing whether to hold back future transfers, including guidance kits that convert so-called dumb bombs into precision-guided munitions," the Times added.
A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) downplayed the importance of the delay on Wednesday and said the U.S. and Israel will resolve their disagreements "behind closed doors."
The Biden administration's decision to suspend a bomb shipment for the first time in the seven-month war came amid growing pressure from human rights organizations, United Nations experts, and U.S. lawmakers to halt all offensive weapons deliveries to Israel, which has repeatedly used American arms to commit atrocities in Gaza.
"Over the years, the United States has provided tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Israel," Sanders said Wednesday. "We can no longer be complicit in Netanyahu's horrific war against the Palestinian people."
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U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders said Wednesday that the Biden administration must go much further than merely delaying shipments of two types of Boeing-made bombs to Israel, whose long-feared ground assault on the overcrowded Gaza city of Rafah is currently underway.
Sanders (I-Vt.) said U.S. President Joe Biden was "absolutely right" to halt the delivery of thousands of bombs to "this extreme, right-wing Israeli government" as it inflicts an "unprecedented humanitarian disaster" on Gaza's population.
"But this must be a first step," said the Vermont senator. "The U.S. must now use ALL its leverage to demand an immediate cease-fire, the end of the attacks on Rafah, and the immediate delivery of massive amounts of humanitarian aid to people living in desperation. Our leverage is clear."
President Biden is right to halt bomb deliveries to this extreme Israeli government.
But this must be a first step. The U.S. must now use ALL its leverage to demand a ceasefire, stop attacks on Rafah, and secure delivery of massive humanitarian aid throughout Gaza. pic.twitter.com/Td3aRfpBya
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) May 8, 2024
The Biden administration has approved more than 100 weapons sales for Israel since it began its latest assault on Gaza in October. Last month, Biden signed into law a foreign aid package that includes billions of dollars in unconditional U.S. military assistance for Israel.
The New York Times reported Tuesday that Biden "withheld 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs that he feared could be dropped on Rafah, where more than one million Gazans have taken refuge." Israel has dropped hundreds of U.S.-made 2,000-pound bombs on Gaza since October.
"The administration is reviewing whether to hold back future transfers, including guidance kits that convert so-called dumb bombs into precision-guided munitions," the Times added.
A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) downplayed the importance of the delay on Wednesday and said the U.S. and Israel will resolve their disagreements "behind closed doors."
The Biden administration's decision to suspend a bomb shipment for the first time in the seven-month war came amid growing pressure from human rights organizations, United Nations experts, and U.S. lawmakers to halt all offensive weapons deliveries to Israel, which has repeatedly used American arms to commit atrocities in Gaza.
"Over the years, the United States has provided tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Israel," Sanders said Wednesday. "We can no longer be complicit in Netanyahu's horrific war against the Palestinian people."
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders said Wednesday that the Biden administration must go much further than merely delaying shipments of two types of Boeing-made bombs to Israel, whose long-feared ground assault on the overcrowded Gaza city of Rafah is currently underway.
Sanders (I-Vt.) said U.S. President Joe Biden was "absolutely right" to halt the delivery of thousands of bombs to "this extreme, right-wing Israeli government" as it inflicts an "unprecedented humanitarian disaster" on Gaza's population.
"But this must be a first step," said the Vermont senator. "The U.S. must now use ALL its leverage to demand an immediate cease-fire, the end of the attacks on Rafah, and the immediate delivery of massive amounts of humanitarian aid to people living in desperation. Our leverage is clear."
President Biden is right to halt bomb deliveries to this extreme Israeli government.
But this must be a first step. The U.S. must now use ALL its leverage to demand a ceasefire, stop attacks on Rafah, and secure delivery of massive humanitarian aid throughout Gaza. pic.twitter.com/Td3aRfpBya
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) May 8, 2024
The Biden administration has approved more than 100 weapons sales for Israel since it began its latest assault on Gaza in October. Last month, Biden signed into law a foreign aid package that includes billions of dollars in unconditional U.S. military assistance for Israel.
The New York Times reported Tuesday that Biden "withheld 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs that he feared could be dropped on Rafah, where more than one million Gazans have taken refuge." Israel has dropped hundreds of U.S.-made 2,000-pound bombs on Gaza since October.
"The administration is reviewing whether to hold back future transfers, including guidance kits that convert so-called dumb bombs into precision-guided munitions," the Times added.
A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) downplayed the importance of the delay on Wednesday and said the U.S. and Israel will resolve their disagreements "behind closed doors."
The Biden administration's decision to suspend a bomb shipment for the first time in the seven-month war came amid growing pressure from human rights organizations, United Nations experts, and U.S. lawmakers to halt all offensive weapons deliveries to Israel, which has repeatedly used American arms to commit atrocities in Gaza.
"Over the years, the United States has provided tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Israel," Sanders said Wednesday. "We can no longer be complicit in Netanyahu's horrific war against the Palestinian people."
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